Update

Progress is slow in the forestry front.


I have had a hell of a time getting the data from concerned parties, all the equipment seem to be blowing up and if that were not enough, the whole process we are trying to study is held up in court. So, this seems like a perfect time to let you know what we are trying to do.

Since the implementation of the Northwest Forest Plan (1994) Federal Forest lands are now managed moreso for habitat than simply for timber production. The group working out here on the Olympic Peninsula has taken second-growth stands that are currently in stem exclusion (understory in deep shade, tree growth limited while they compete for light) and have prescribed various treatments that enrich structural diversity. The intent has been to mimic natural disturbances (wind-throws) that open up the canopy and allow the understory to become more complex.

We have gone out to a number of stands near Bear Creek (Sol Duc area) and have gathered the baseline date to compare the effects of the treatments on the health and diversity of the shrubs and forest herbs. The treatment are setup so there are patches of small gaps (no trees) large areas that will not be touched at all and blocks that will be thinned. This should encourage a boost in understory development with the addtional growing space while leaving enough of the forest intact that it does not fully eliminate any late-seral forest species.

This sort of treatment has been done in a similar stand of Federal Forest land near Copper-Ranch Road, but no one has ever quantified the success of such prescriptions to actually improve a forest's health as an ecosystem to support a variety of animal and floral life.

This is where we come in.
Right now I do not know the status of the court battle over the fate of the stand. If it takes another year to clear up, we can always get in another year of baseline data so we can see the growth rate of forest before the understory trees, shrubs and herbs are released.

I'll keep you updated.

"Dam Removal Begins in Early 2008"

"It's never gonna happen"

So says a friend that works at OPI (Olympic Park Institute) and has been rather up on the events surrounding the Elwha Dam removal for quite some time now. We talk about it from time to time, his students go out there and gather samples; and he would like to see them go- but with the never ending slew of hold ups, who really knows?

Our conversations inspired me to see if I could find anything on how things are progressing. After much searching, I found a lot of old articles citing what should be happening early next year. This article from last year was very thorough, I recommend it as a primer on the process or for all the great quotes it provides form the men that are directly involved.

Team Work

Not too much to report- I have maps to make of the permanent sample plots we laid out in the Sol Duc valley and ought to make a spread sheet of the times the HOBO (data gathering unit) was moved around, the weather conditions and what data it collected.

here's the hitch: I don't have any of the files or data sheets.

That is the joy and terror or working with and trusting people you don't know very well. One thing in the field of research is that quite often the work is such that you can work independently. This is great if you have another job, a family, or prefer to "work with the weather" as much as possible- however, it can get you in big trouble if someone who appeared to be on it drops the ball.

Especially when there is no admittance of error. If you forget something or can't figure it out- Tell Someone! When there is a need, it is easy to address if it is known, then you can fix it before it becomes a problem.

Hopefully, we get all the data so we have time to process it before we need to get going again. Right now, the biggest issue is figuring out what has been done so we know what we still need to do.


ahhh, the joys of teamwork.


*this post doesn't have to do with anyone in REU- don't worry!

what about trout?

Last Wednesday I set out out to see if my new backpack was tough enough to carry the boy and everything needed for a day and a night or two in the wild yonder. If we go on any of the snow surveys, I want to make sure before I am miles up and out that my pack can comfortably carry the kid and everything we would need in any terrain. My last pack was a back-killer and couldn't store much.

For a good experiment covering some usual trail walking with a steep climb, we decided to hike up the east side of the Elwha part of the way to Humes Ranch, then back down by Goblin's Gate and up Rica Canyon (nice and steep) About 5 or 6 miles in all. I discovered that I should have been using the fancy pack the whole time. Nice backpacks may seem bulky, but the extra weight and size is defiantly worth the comfort and not pulling a muscle four miles in. And even on a steep climb, the weight is distributed well, so its doable even though the added weight can be a drag.

So, how does this relate to my work on the Elwha?

Well, on the way back out, we ran into a guy works with the park. His job is to keep track of bull head trout. Apparently they are hurting too. The dam has them trapped above and below and their population is declining.

This got me thinking on how political all these issues are. Why don't more people care about the trout- they are in trouble, but we never hear of it. Maybe its because they aren't as big in fine dining circles, perhaps it is because they weren't as much as a staple food for the people that inhabited the area before the "settlers" came.

Either way, how many species really are in danger over this, how many have we lost before we even knew to look. All over the country we do things for the "betterment" of the people with out thinking about what it will do to the world around us. Build a really big fence all around our nation, what will that do to all our land migrant animals? It seems the only way anything can get worked on it when there is *huge* public pressure and even then it takes a long time.

How long are we going to keep on repeating our mistakes of the past before we just stop and think about what we are doing.

Eh?

***

Example of public pressure finally getting things done: did you all hear that WallMart is demanding higher standards and environmental responsibility from its shrimp farmers- can this be real? Maybe the free market theory is the best way to deal with environmental issues, if we all think about what we buy and let our money do the voting, the big companies that do the most damage and can make the quickest changes will listen. If WallMart is getting eco-concious, that really proves something.

(below digresses into more of a rant - I do not intent to offend anyone)
We can fight for political regulations to get things moving, but fast significant change will only occur if companies start loosing money for dong business in ways we don't agree with.

What would happen if everyone who considered themselves "ecologically conscious" stop buying food and cloths that traveled 150,000 miles, more or less, to get here. What if we recycled and reused and didn't buy new for a year and rode the bus more often? How about if we just started buying local organic produce and eating with the seasons? For as popular "caring about the environment" is getting, if just half the people starting acting like it, I bet more than Wal-Mart would be listening.

so, what about the other factors...

A short ways back I read an editorial the local paper about salmon habitat. The main premise of the essay was that while many think removing the dams will make the salmon come back (in time) to their glorious sizes and levels of old- we ought to look at other factors.

Look at the Queets. Never damed, it too is a pale comparison of the river booming with life that is once was. Is it a result of poor forestation practices and the resultant sediment/ habitat loss, the absurd amount of salmon harvested through commercial fishing for our demanding appetites, our ocean getting sick and dirty, global warming????

To show one example of a toxin in the ocean that could be affecting salmon, here is an interesting article about toxins in farmed (and wild) fish. If PBDE's are toxic to us, they could be affecting the fishies in negative ways too. I heard a report on NPR a few months ago about giant swaths of the ocean that are literally dying. When are we as a society going to be willing to change our convenient lifestyle to address these issues before it becomes dire.

Yes, removing the dams is a great step for restoring pacific salmon habitat and encouraging them- doing what we can to keep any more species from going extinct. But we may find out that though we restore the river, there are more factors at play which can't repaired that easy.

Not the reason

I just came across this page from King County on salmon friendly living.

Nothing Like it

I must be a real sucker. Seems like I will sign up for anything if it gives me an excuse to spend more time in the woods. Ah well.

So, here is my official officialness. A wonderful place where I can keep you tuned into all the marvelous discoveries I will make and the grand adventures I will have over the next year.

Here is a little example of what is in store:



isn't that exciting?

A strange small thick-leaved fern! I've never seen its likeness before!

Man, this is gonna be great.